4 months old

Lydia Grace turned 4 months old on the 16th! The 4th month just flew by in my opinion and it has been amazing lately to see the changes in our little one. I know that I will just keep saying this, but this past month has been one of big changes and developments and while I am a little bit sad that I definitely do not have a newborn anymore, I am excited that she is starting to open up and interact with us more everyday.

Her stats: We don't go to the pediatrician again until April 27th, so no weight or length updates again - but she is growing for sure. Lately she has become so much more chubby! She has rolls on her arms and legs and has about 3 chins. It is so cute. She can still wear some 0-3 month stuff, but 3-6 month sleepers are a must. Her 3-6 months wardrobe is so cute and full of colors other than pink, so that makes me excited :)

Eating: Lydia has increased her number of feedings again. She eats 6-7 times a day and then 1-2 times at night. She added back in her early morning feeding, around 5:30 or 6:30, and she now wakes up hopefully just around 2 to eat at night. Sometimes we do 1 a.m., 3 a.m. and then the early morning feeding and this is no fun. However, her feeding sessions have become dramatically shorter. During the day she only nurses for 20ish minutes at a time, still eating on both sides. At night since she is sleepy she usually only stays awake for one side, which means I am only up for 5-10 minutes at a time.

Eating is her most favorite thing! She has clearly started to anticipate when she is about to eat, and when she is hungry she has started pressing her cheek up against mine or burying her head into my collarbones... or sucking like crazy on my shoulder. She has been refusing a bottle again as of late - this girl is just up and down about bottles and pacifiers. I mostly feel bad for babysitters who have to endure her fussiness when she won't take a bottle because I am a strong believer that if she is really hungry, she will take it.

Sleeping: Lydia has become less of a pro sleeper this month... which I knew would happen eventually. Her naps are very irregular these days. If we are at home I can usually count on at least 2 good naps in the swing that last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Some days they are longer and she only needs 2, other days they are shorter and she will still take 4 or 5.

When we aren't home she is too interested in other things to take a nap! She will keep herself awake just so she can learn and interact with people and her surroundings. I am so thankful that in less than 4 weeks we will be moving and finished with school. I think that by then we will definitely be ready for a sleeping routine over haul and I know it will be so much easier to implement a routine and some sleep training stuff when I don't have to worry about being well rested for school and work, and when I don't have to leave her with different sitters every day.

For now I think that I am going to try to start getting up with her at night and waking her up a bit more to eat. Like I said above, she has started falling asleep during some of her night time feedings which just means she wakes up more. It is nice now because I literally never leave the bed, but getting up and moving to the rocking chair for 15 minutes may mean more sleep for mommy overall which would be good. I know I have been spoiled, so I don't want to complain, but getting at most 3 hour stretches of sleep is becoming difficult.

In general, I think we are in a big transition stage for sleeping. I hope that Lydia will begin to make it clear how many naps she needs and at what times she needs them. Then I can focus my attention and energy into making sure we are home at those times and making sure she sleeps well for them. Any mommy advice out there? How many naps did your 4 month old take? When did they usually occur? Did a sleep transition happen for you around this time?

What she loves: Eating, her swing, sitting up, being held facing out, her toys, her hands, bath time, Rooney!

What she hates: Her carseat... still!! Being taken on a walk with mommy in her stroller if she isn't in the mood. Bottles and pacifiers (depending on the day). Being sleepy.

Personality/Milestones: This month we got a laugh out of Lydia!! You can watch the video here. Since then she has laughed two more times... she really has to be in an interesting mood in order for her to do it. She has rolled over 2 more times also, but in general she is still laying pretty still when we put her on her tummy or back. She has definitely started to sit up well! She can sit up with the help of her Boppy pillow really well and sometimes she just wants to get up off of her back. We got a Bumbo from her cousin, and she kind of likes to sit up in there as well. A lot of times though she turns to her right and then gets stuck in it.

I think she may be starting to cut teeth... I am not sure. The past few days she has had consistent issues with being handed to someone while I am holding her. She screamed for my sister, mom, and her regular Monday babysitter, Rachel, as well. This is very unlike her. I thought that maybe some kind of separation anxiety stuff could be starting, but I thought it was a little early for that. So then, last night when I was trying to put her to sleep she was fussy which never happens. She didn't want to nurse, or take a paci, or be held close... nothing. I don't know what's up, but something has been making her unhappy and for some reason she needs to know I am around these past few days.

Heaven-sent baby items: I like the Bumbo a lot, but I wouldn't say it is a must have yet. If you do get one, this is an item which you could definitely get second hand and just wipe it off really well.

If you plan on exercising with your baby, a jogging stroller is a must! At first I didn't understand why you needed two different strollers, but now it is very clear. It is nice to have a lighter weight stroller that a car seat pops right into. We use ours when we are out shopping, and it will be awesome this summer for trips to the zoo and aquarium. However, when you want to walk fast, or jog, you need a stroller with some big wheels so that baby's head isn't jostling too much. Also, you definitely need a stroller. In my head I was going to strap Lydia to my chest to do my power walks until she was 6 months old... but this is a bad idea. She is so heavy already! I took a walk on Saturday and she was a bit fussy, so I tried our infant carrier and it was very difficult to walk quickly. Anyway, I would recommend this jogging stroller. My mom got it for me, and it is rated in the top 5 jogging strollers but is almost $250 cheaper than the others. I have a few small critiques, but in general it gets the job done.

Words from Daddy: Well friends, David is still sleeping. I think his words would be that he loves the time every morning that he has alone with Lydia cuddling in bed :)

Hope you enjoyed this update! I have been wanting to write about so many things lately but school is obviously eating up so much time. But in 2 1/2 weeks we will be finished!! And then hopefully I will be able to write more. Until then, thanks for hanging in there and reading only baby things...